Professional Printmaking Program

Self Help Graphics & Art’s (SHG) acclaimed Professional Printmaking Program (PPP) offers artists with various experiences the opportunity to create fine art limited edition prints and monoprints through a peer-led approach that is dedicated to providing an environment that nurtures and supports artists’ creativity and careers. A foundation of the organization, the PPP has produced more than 2,000 editions of silkscreen prints by an ever-growing number of local and visiting artists.

SHG conducts one to two atelier projects yearly, each ranging in theme and content, by a guest artist/curator, who then selects 5-7 participating artists. The curator’s proposal is reviewed and approved by the Director of Artistic Programs and Education and the Artists Advisory Committee. Each artist has the opportunity to work side by side with SHG’s Master Printer at SHG’s fully equipped printmaking studios. Artists are free to use traditional painting techniques and to experiment with text, digital, or photo manipulation. Each edition is printed on archival paper, receives SHG’s studio chop, and is certified in accordance with professional printmaking standards.

As is the tradition of the program, each artist receives 50% of their edition and all artist proofs. The remaining artworks are reserved for SHG’s onsite archive as well as the SHG collection at the California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives (CEMA) at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) Library.

SHG's prints can be found in other national institutions such as the Benton Museum, Blanton Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Laguna Art Museum, UC Santa Barbara California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives, McNay Art Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Tang Museum Skidmore College, University California, Merced, Library of Congress, and The Smithsonian.

It is our philosophy to view the entire process as an exchange. The artist has the opportunity to create a first quality print (serigraph, intaglio, relief) edition free of charge, and SHG receives a share of the edition for programming and fundraising. It is also important to note that print exhibitions created through this program reach diverse local, national, and international audiences, furthering the exposure and impact of the artist’s work.

As one of the most recognized Latino printmaking centers in America, SHG is committed to taking more innovative approaches in everything it does. SHG has been dedicated to working with artists in exploring the juxtaposition of traditional and non-traditional printmaking processes, as well as to the development of content that is at once culturally relevant and investigative. As is our tradition and mission, emerging artists will be central in helping us experiment in each atelier.